Despite intensive research and development into anti-cancer therapies cancer continues to take a heavy toll of lives. More than 10 million people around the world are diagnosed with cancer every year and it is estimated that this number could increase to as many as 20 million new cases a year by 2030. Lung cancer and breast cancer rates in women in particular have risen in recent times and ovarian cancer remains the leading cause of death in women with gynaecological malignancy.
Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of death in women with cancer and remains the leading cause of death from gynaecological malignancy in many countries, in spite of chemotherapy with platinum derivates and/or taxol after surgery. Of the malignant epithelial tumors (>90% of all ovarian cancers), the serous papillary variants form the largest subgroup. Due to its dismal prognosis there is an urgent need for new treatment strategy for ovarian cancer.
Against this background there remains a need for new methods of cancer treatment.